The Beauty of Simplicity
by Punch Buggy
Summary: Kenshin and Kaoru simply admire the clouds. Oneshot.


Hi guys. I am _really_ tired, but I've decided since my other computer is down and I have no way of continuing writing my other stories, I'd post a one-shot to try to appease you. XD Well, this one was very spur of the moment, and I am trying extremely hard to capture Kaoru's thoughts. Definitely a challenge for someone like me.

Disclaimer: I will own Kenshin the day the world ends and the only thing there is left is my mind. So I'll own him then, in my mind. (Can't you tell how much I simply _love _disclaimers? coughs)

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**The Beauty of Simplicity**

**By Punch Buggy**

Midnight black tresses blew lazily in the wind, pulling against the tight ponytail of a very peaceful Kamiya Kaoru as she lay upon a small hill just south of her quaint little dojo. Sapphire eyes gazed up at the sunless sky, admiring the relaxed state of the heavens. Pristine clouds floated around carelessly, casting a welcomed overshadow on the soft patch of grass Kaoru currently lay upon.

She had always envied the clouds and their ability to morph into anything; constantly changing, yet the same. Something she had always wished she could be. As a child and till this very day, people have always needed her to be something to them. Loving daughter, powerful swordsman, responsible young woman, charismatic instructor…those and more. Over the years of her life, she had tried time and time again to be the one people could always count on to be there; to say and do the right thing when no one else knew how to act. But she just couldn't…it just wasn't possible. No one can be everything for everyone.

For this reason, she enjoyed watching the clouds change into everything she couldn't be. They shifted into shapes of people, animals; anything your imagination came up with. A simple pleasure, really, but an enjoyable one, none the less. She came down here often, even if nothing was going wrong in her life. It was her way of meditating, you could say. She would blank out her busy mind and focused on the clouds, the only thing her mind having to do was imagine. Mystical dragons, flowers, scenes from her childhood…the clouds told all sorts of interesting stories. One story in particular caught her attention when she observed it on a breezy autumn day. The story progressed every time she went cloud gazing, and piqued her interest more every time.

The blue eyed Kamiya girl searched the sky, meaning to locate the main character of the story. He was there always, and the allure to come down to watch the heavens increased every day as the story unfolded. A young man with a masked face appeared, and Kaoru's face took on a small smile as she caught sight of the nameless man. The main character of her favorite story. He seemed so familiar, and his presence in the sky soothed her unlike any other figure she had seen. It was as if she had known him before…

The man's hand elegantly rose to his mouth in a swift movement, and his lips parted to blow a kiss to the young woman watching intently below. A chilling breeze blew through the area and ruffled the grass, enveloping Kaoru into the world she so frequently visited in her mind. Her eyes fluttered closed, and images came flooding into her mind.

There was the masked man once again, but this time he seemed untouchable. He sat in a corner of a valley, darkness surrounding him. Suddenly, a blinding light poured from an unknown source, forcing Kaoru to take a surprised step backwards to shield her eyes. Her eyes adjusted to the blaring light, and she looked at the man she had watched every day for the past few weeks. The light emphasized his solemn form, highlighting his hair and clothing. Kaoru gasped, the identity of the masked man revealing itself through the vivacious red tint of his hair.

This man was Kenshin, her very own Kenshin! She had watched this masked man go through all sorts of times, and they all seemed eerily familiar. Now she finally understood. The story playing was the story of the wandering swordsman's life. But what could this mean? Was this a scene from the future, shown to warn her of some upcoming tragedy?

"Kenshin!"

"Yes, Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru's eyes bolted open as she threw herself up and flung her head around, coming face to face with the man in her dreams. Or nightmares; she couldn't really tell.

"Kenshin! What are you doing here?" She placed a hand over her heart, breathing in deeply and exhaling to calm herself, "Don't sneak up on me like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Gomen, Kaoru-dono. You fell asleep, and this one wished to ask you if you wanted to go to the Akabeko for lunch. Sano offered to pay."

Kaoru snorted. _Sano _offering to pay for a meal? _He must want something. _"He should probably use that money to pay off his debt to Tae-san. He can't keep on not paying his bill."

"Sessha was told he had a lucky gambling streak a few nights back and had enough money to pay off all the money he owed," Kenshin responded, his tone not sounding too keen on the idea of his rooster-headed friend gambling.

"Well, that's new," Kaoru said with a disbelieving raise of an eyebrow. Sano never seemed to have any sort of luck when it came to gambling. Or anything, for that matter.

"Hey, Kenshin?"

The red headed warrior looked down at Kaoru, "Yes, Kaoru-dono?"

"Would you mind sitting down here with me? I want to show you something."

Kenshin blinked, but complied to the kendo instructor's request, lying down next to Kaoru on a particularly soft patch of grass.

"Kenshin, what do you see when you look at that cloud?" Kaoru questioned, raising her hand and pointing to the cloud that she thought resembled the man currently lying beside her.

Kenshin's gaze followed Kaoru's outstretched finger, and his eyes fell upon the cloud she was speaking of.

"A sheep."

This time, it was Kaoru's turn to blink as her arm fell back to her side. That was a new one. When she looked at that same cloud, no matter how many times, she pictured something completely different. And a little more intricate. _Well_, Kaoru thought with a content smile, _I guess it's all in the beauty of simplicity.

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My first one shot! Yay! That didn't take me very long, and it was fun to write. I was hoping for a lighter tone, but that just isn't how it came out to be. I have a lot of hints to things in here, so if it seems confusing as to Kaoru's thoughts and reaction to Kenshin's response, think. If you would like, I'll completely explain everything in an extra little note I can add to this story later. Hope you enjoyed!

This fic is dedicated to misaoshiru. I love ya, Pika-nee-chan! XD

Punch Buggy


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